Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Inventory Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Inventory Management

Of 34 developers who shipped an Inventory Management 2D Platformer in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 76 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $860, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $18k, ×40 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 76 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 76 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Inventory Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 34
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $898 → $1.4k → $450 → $1.2k → $1.1k → $1.1k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Inventory Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 34
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $861 (exactly $861)
Top 25% $2.7k (exactly $2,703)
Top 5% $19k (exactly $18,887)
Developers, 2 yr 34
Released games 97
Announced 76
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 40% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Inventory Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Inventory Management; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action-Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 72% positive over 458 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $860, 1 in 4 over $2.7k, 1 in 20 over $18k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 76 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Platformer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + JRPGFair150 devs · median $4.2k · 157 announced
  2. + VampiresFair47 devs · median $1.9k · 50 announced
  3. + MechsFair33 devs · median $1.8k · 44 announced
  4. + PinballFair13 devs · median $1.6k · 9 announced
  5. + WesternFair10 devs · median $1.3k · 13 announced
  6. + CRPGFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  7. + Psychological HorrorFair178 devs · median $1.0k · 185 announced
  8. + Arena ShooterFair45 devs · median $809 · 43 announced
  9. + MiningFair38 devs · median $748 · 45 announced
  10. + RoguelikeFair264 devs · median $599 · 320 announced
  11. + Party-Based RPGFair55 devs · median $599 · 42 announced
  12. + Tactical RPGFair58 devs · median $599 · 49 announced

All 226 pairs on the 2D Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) 2016 · $121k Jump Off The Bridge 2019 · EA · $57k Lovish 2026 · $54k VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood 2026 · $19k Star Rift Saga 2025 · $14k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) older $11.99 336 92% 10k $121k (exactly $120,859) Locomalito, Gryzor87
Jump Off The Bridge · EA older $7.99 239 87% 7.2k $57k (exactly $57,288) Cody Penn
Lovish $14.99 120 85% 3.6k $54k (exactly $53,964) LABS Works
VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood $14.99 42 57% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Ash Jackson
Star Rift Saga $14.99 31 96% 930 $14k (exactly $13,941) Studio Vela LLC
Starlair $19.99 17 58% 510 $10k (exactly $10,195) Shooty Bazooky
Passing By - A Tailwind Journey older $9.99 30 93% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) Studio Windsocke
FolkOrigin $7.99 36 88% 1.1k $8.6k (exactly $8,629) LukaszD
East Trade Tycoon: Inheritance $2.99 92 92% 2.8k $8.3k (exactly $8,252) PandaUpStudio
Beyond a Total Loss older $9.99 25 100% 750 $7.5k (exactly $7,492) Pseudobug
The South Island $12.99 11 100% 330 $4.3k (exactly $4,287) Titan Art Games
The Orc Invasion $10.99 13 92% 390 $4.3k (exactly $4,286) ATK Games
XiuXian Idle Cultivation $0.99 91 21% 2.7k $2.7k (exactly $2,703) 浪屿峻造
TREEPURY: Farm Tycoon · EA $9.99 5 80% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) Rabiar

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.